Personal protection systems are used in surgical procedures to provide a sterile barrier between the surgical personnel and the patient. Examples of personal protection systems can be found in the Inventor's Assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,156 issued 15 Jun. 2010, U.S. Pat. No. 7,752,682 issued 13 Jul. 2010 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,722 issued 7 Aug. 2102 each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The above identified patents disclose a personal protection system incorporating a helmet that supports a toga or a hood. This assembly is worn by medical/surgical personnel to establish a sterile barrier. The toga or the hood includes a transparent face shield. The helmet includes a ventilation unit that includes a fan. The ventilation unit draws air through the toga/hood so the air is circulated around the wearer.
The circulating air reduces both the amount of heat that is trapped within the toga/hood and the carbon dioxide that builds up under the toga/hood. Because the filter section of the toga/hood appreciably restricts airflow into the fan, a higher capacity fan than would otherwise be necessary is utilized. The larger capacity fan is also accompanied by an unwelcome higher level of noise during operation that is annoying and distracting to the user.
Further, because the air within a medical/surgical facility, such as an operating room, contains undesirable micro-organisms and pathogens, it is desirable to eliminate as many of the micro-organisms as possible before the air is breathed by medical personnel.
Personal protection systems of the prior art do a reasonable job of providing a sterile barrier between the surgical personnel and the surrounding environment. However, there are some limitations associated with their use. The toga/hood that covers the wearer blocks sound waves. This means an individual wearing the system may have to speak loudly or shout to be heard. This is especially the case when the hooded individual is trying to communicate with another individual similarly attired in an operating room environment.
Some personal protection systems have incorporated wireless transceivers or radios into the helmet to allow communication between medical personnel. The use of wireless transceivers adds appreciable cost and complexity to the personal protection system. Further, in a hospital setting with multiple users in adjoining surgical facilities, cross-talk and electromagnetic interference between wireless transceivers is a concern.
Personal protection systems can also be used in sterile processing departments (SPD) that clean, disinfect and sterilize previously used soiled surgical instruments and tools. The personal protection system protects the operator from biological hazards contained on the soiled surgical instruments. Surgical instruments and tools are sent to the SPD for sterilization after they are used in medical procedures. In the SPD, operators manually wash and clean the instruments and then load them into sterilizers to be heated and exposed to chemical sterilants. It is important for personnel working in the SPD to be able to visually detect any debris and bits of body tissue or medical waste that are retained to the surgical instruments in order to remove the contaminants during the cleaning process.